Management in India: Grow from an Accidental to a Successful Manager in the IT & Knowledge IndustryA real-world, practical book for a professional in his journey to becoming a successful manager in IndiaRahul Goyalprofessional expertise distilled doc

Management in India: Grow from an Accidental to a Successful Manager in the IT & Knowledge Industry A real-world, practical book for a professional in his journey to becoming a successful manager in India Rahul Goyal professional expertise distilled P U B L I S H I N G BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI Management in India: Grow from an Accidental to a Successful Manager in the IT & Knowledge Industry Copyright © 2012 Packt Publishing All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied Neither the may be author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information First published: May 2012 Production Reference: 1180512 Published by Packt Publishing Ltd Livery Place 35 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PB, UK ISBN 978-1-84968-262-6 www.packtpub.com Cover Image by Sandeep Babu (sandyjb@gmail.com) Credits Author Rahul Goyal Reviewers Rajiv Mishra Project Coordinator Vishal Bodwani Proofreader Aaron Nash Kishore Shenoi Pankaj Ghanshani Indexer Tejal Daruwale Acquisition Editors Amey Kanse Kartikey Pandey Lead Technical Editor Kartikey Pandey Technical Editor Ankita Shashi Copy Editor Leonard D'Silva Graphics Manu Joseph Production Coordinator Arvindkumar Gupta Cover Work Arvindkumar Gupta Foreword Reading this wonderful book by Rahul brought back early memories of my career It was nearly 15 years ago that I became a manager, almost by accident Back then I had always prided myself in my creativeness and technical ability I had this wonderful opportunity working for an exciting startup in the Silicon Valley with three other code wizards I discovered that while I may never be as good a programmer as they were, I had this innate ability to see the big picture and mobilize everyone to achieve results After a large company acquired our startup and my leaders quit, my team expected me to lead the integration with the large company I was elated and petrified at the same time about the important responsibility that I had in my hands early in my career This became a turning point in my career I was not only able to integrate the team but many of us were able to build successful careers over the next few years in the large company Whether you have always had a career plan to be a manager or if you have become an accidental one, I believe you can excel in being one Understanding the key principles to being a successful manager and learning to apply them early in your career will make the difference between success and failure Looking back, I have often wondered what a difference it would have made if I had known what I know now This is where this book comes in In this book, Rahul Goyal has delved deep into his rich experiences as a manager in India and the US to write a guidebook with practical insights on the gamut of competencies that you need to be a highly successful front line manager In an easy-to-read style he helps you handle the transition from individual contributor to a manager and guides you on all the competencies required for a manager including hiring and building great teams, planning and executing your work, motivating people, making great decisions, handling the inevitable attrition and building an inclusive place to work where diversity is celebrated He takes a contemporary approach emphasizing the challenges today's managers need to handle in a globalized and flat world where you need to excel at working across time zones, generations, cultures, and markets I believe this book is unique in how it applies sound management theory to the practical situations you will run into as a manager and develops it into a set of simple how-to guidelines that we all can follow I particularly love the way Rahul has applied candor to address the tough situations we all have faced everyday He has masterfully interweaved examples and stories for each of the principles in order to bring them home to us We often forget that managers are employees as well and they need to be successful in achieving their career goals Rahul thoughtfully includes advice on how can a manager think about their own career and the steps they need to be successful I feel this book will not only be indispensable for a newbie manager that wants to get it right early but also a great reference for seasoned managers who are constantly looking to up their game In short, this book needs to be the one you keep next to you throughout your journey as a manager I have had the opportunity to work together with Rahul for many years and consider him a role model manager In this book, he speaks from his own direct experiences progressing from a talented engineer to a successful manager and now to a leader-teacher that is grooming others I wonder how much better a manager I could have been in my earlier years if I had this book to guide me In the end, Rahul's message is simple – It's all about the People Being a successful manager requires many traits and competencies, but it begins with how you put people first while solving for all three stakeholders – People, Customers, and Business Here in India, we are blessed with a wealth of talent As we look forward, it is our responsibility as managers to teach how to leverage this wealth to build a great future for us all I am inspired by Rahul's contribution and I hope you all as well Vijay Anand Vice President Intuit India About the Author Rahul Goyal is an accomplished manager with a rich experience of nearly two decades in the software industry He began his career at UBICS, Bangalore as a programmer working on e-mail systems in India He started managing people very early in his career and honed his skills in Bangalore, India, and then in Silicon Valley, USA working for Oracle Corporation He now works as Director of Engineering at Intuit India Rahul finds management in everything, such as a game of soccer or a line of ants carrying food or his two sons, sometimes in a tussel for the TV remote or suprisingly co-operating to clean their room While working at Oracle, he went to IIM, Bangalore to get executive management education in general management He is an avid reader and also writes a blog on management which can be found at http://rxgoyal.blogspot.com He enjoys spending his spare time with family and friends or at the course playing golf Acknowledgement I would like to thank my dear friends, Rajiv Mishra, Kishore Shenoi, and Pankaj Ghanshani for their encouragement, input, and critical feedback through the process of writing this book They kept me going though the entire effort and got me un-stuck many a times My sincere thanks to Vijay Anand, who provided me the courage to go ahead and take this journey Vijay is truly inspirational and one can learn a ton of management just by being around him Vijay is a role model to many a managers including myself To my wife Seema and my sons Kunal and Karan for being so understanding all the time and giving me lessons on management every day To my parents who taught me to follow my heart and never doubt my instincts They are my pillars of strength Thanks to my first manager, Abhijeet Bhalla, who showed me the ropes and put his faith in me when very few would have Thanks to my teams, past and present; to my managers in the past and present; to the organizations I worked for, and to my teachers in academics and in sports for teaching me all that I know today Finally, thanks to James Lumsden, my publisher at Packt for starting this effort on his visit to our campus and pushing me to get on with it Thanks to the editors Amey Kanse, Kartikey Pandey, Ankita Shashi, and the project co-ordinators, Zainab Bagasrawala and Vishal Bodhwani for working with me on this book About the Reviewers Rajiv Mishra is currently working with Yahoo! India as a director of product development He did his B.E in Computer Science from NIT, Nagpur and has close to 18 years of total experience and around 11 years of management experience both in India and in US In the past, he has worked with Oracle, Citibank and found a startup Rajiv's interest lies in building complex distributed software systems and high performance teams from scratch You can reach Rajiv on Linkedin at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rajiv-mishra/0/6b0/bab Kishore Shenoi started his IT career as a C-programmer after completing his masters in Physics He has worked in various capacities in technology and business development, within leading consulting and retail companies in India and the USA In his current management role, he is using his project management and retail expertise to make a positive influence on the organization In the past two decades he has also added two more masters (MBA Business Analytics and MS Operation Management) and certifications including Software Engineering (Harvard University DCE), Data Warehousing (Microstrategy), Project Management PMP (PMI), and Supply Chain CSCP (APICS) Chapter 13 Different people have different motivational factors As the life-stage of an individual changes, the motivation factors also change Understand the motivations that appeal to each individual and the best you can However, every individual is responsible for keeping himself/herself self-motivated Hiring Hiring is among the top agenda for any manager in the knowledge industry Always remember that hiring is part of the larger "team building" process and not isolated by itself You are not just looking for the best guy out there, but the best "fit" for a specific position in the team Let the team help in hiring and they'll automatically pick a candidate that may 'fit' best amongst them Also, if the team and the work are really good, you'll 'attract' excellent candidates without even 'seeking' them out from the market Attrition – expect it, manage it Everyone who joins the team will leave the team as well The question is: how you manage when that happens? Hey, I have to go No Problem, we can handle this Attrition is part of the team life cycle and a certainty The challenge is in managing attrition by making sure that the business does not suffer when someone leaves Strong managers create systems and structures that make the entire team strong enough to handle someone leaving [ 289 ] Summing it Up Planning and execution Execution is the basic 'purpose' of your existence and of the entire organization's existence You and the rest of your team and everybody around you are paid to execute to the best of your ability As a manager, always be on top of execution Planning is a great tool towards better quality execution Remember, planning is a cycle of plan-execute-review-re-plan Decision-making The art of decision-making is at the core of being a manager All the aspects of understanding people, technology, core business, administrative functions, rules and regulations, external environment, hiring, performance management, and so on, are really surrounding the central theme of being a manager, that is, to make sound decisions, considering various aspects, and then own these decisions to handle the impact Manage – all aspects Remember you have to manage everything that comes your way Understand the management style that works best in your situation Remember you must be able to manage a variety of aspects Build a diverse team and respect the individual for his/ her talent, skill, and contributions without any prejudice towards any other factor Strive to get the best from your young and old contributors, men or women In every problem, there is an opportunity The more challenges you take on, the more you grow as a manager and as a person Growing as a person is extremely important as well It also applies to people in the team Grow your people to become better contributors and better individuals Manage your time, work, and personal life Make sure you are having fun doing what you are doing Summary Phew! Here we are now, at the summary of the summary chapter and perhaps there's just one thing that can always be repeated It's all about the people! [ 290 ] Index Symbols 24x7 teams 71, 72 360 degree reviews 183 A accessibility 52 admin costs 209 All is well syndrome 267 ambiguity 54 appraisal form 180 appraisal form, sections about 180 competencies 180, 181 development plan 182 final rating 182 goal setting, for coming year 182 goals, from last year 181 key dimensions 181 open-ended questions 181 appraisal models 360 degree reviews 183 about 182 employee - manager review 183 external reviewers 183 peer reviews 183 approachability 52 attrition about 200, 289 benefits 213-215 cost 209 facts 200-202 managing 217 watch out 215-217 attrition, cost about 209 direct 209, 210 indirect 210-213 attrition, managing about 217 attrition, expecting 217 cross-area awareness, encouraging 219 documentations, creating 220 expectations, managing proactively 218, 219 openness, promoting 220 staying connected, with individual in team 218 team capabilities, enhancing 219 trainings, providing 220 B background check process 210 bad news communicating, to individual 111 balanced team 254 basic requisites, for growth capability 273 credibility 273 opportunity 274 behavioral interviews about 159 using 159, 160 bell curve about 185 using, in performance evaluation 185 bell curve fitment 186 benefits, attrition 213-215 body language 55 bonus discussion 111 buffer 255 C campus day 169 campus hiring about 168 allocations 171 boot camp 172 campus day 169 compensation rules 170 elimination process, followed by selection process 170 interviewing, at campus 171 one job offer per candidate 170 pre-join attrition 172 career growth 201 career planning 179 casual chat engaging in 108 checkpoints 258 Cisco TelePresence© 228 clarity 95 commitments 12, 33 committees 72 communicating 93 communication 288 communication channels shortening 105, 106 communication, in distributed team about 115 accent 115 acknowledgement response 116 alignment, checking frequently 115 different energy levels 116 extra communication required 115 mix methods, for communication 116 questions 116 communication model setting, for team 103, 104 communication needs, of organization 102 communication needs, of roles 102 communication, scenarios bad news, communicating to individual 111 communication, in distributed team 115 difficult discussions 113, 114 everyday communication 107-109 keeping mum 117 personal problems, sharing 110 unwelcome news, communicating to group 112 communication skills 54, 93 compensation about 164 at par with team member, with similar profile 165 based, on market data 166 by negotiation 166 facts 166-168 previous compensation + 20% 165 compensation discussion 104 compensation rules 170 competencies 49, 180, 181 completion criteria monitoring, for execution plan 258, 259 concise 97 conduit 23, 24 consumers 62 context 95, 96 copy cat attrition 213 core values, managers 53 corporate greed 54 courtesy rules 98 crack teams See  SWAT teams cross-area contributions 219 cross organizational team 72 culture mismatch 205 customer orientation about 62 expectations, from managers for 62, 63 Customer Orientation ratings example 191 D daily stand up meetings 261, 262 decision-making about 59, 60, 290 well informed decisions myth 60 [ 292 ] decision-making roles about 17 disturbance handler 18 entrepreneur 17, 18 resource allocator 19, 20 defensive approach about 35, 36 overcoaching 36 demotivation about 134 factors 134-138 demotivation, factors about 134 disrespect 135, 136 fear 135, 136 lack of adequate, and timely compensation 136 lack of learning 138 lack of opportunities, for showing potential 137 no social status 135 poor working conditions 136, 137 threats 135, 136 uncertainty 134, 135 demotivators about 122 versus motivators 122 desire 120 development manager 271 development plan 182 dimensions, social competence empathy 65 social skills 65 direct costs, attrition about 209 administrative costs 209 hiring cost 209 training costs 210 disconnected managers 188 disseminator 16 disturbance about 18 examples 19 disturbance handler 18 diversity about 240 celebrating 241 early training 240 managing 240-242 natural, to human kind 240 no jokes, on particular community 242 stereotypes, stopping 240 dream job offer 170 E effective interview conducting 154, 155 hiring decision 162, 163 interview plan 154, 155 interview tips 155 resume, analyzing 155 e-mail communication watching out 98 Emotional Intelligence 63, 64 empathy 51, 65 employee - manager review 183 enjoyment test 234 entrepreneur 17, 18 esteem needs, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory 125 every problem is my problem to solve myth 58 execution 290 execution plan about 256, 257 checkpoints, creating 258 reviewing 258 exit interviews 201 external reviewers 183 extroversion 51 F facts, attrition 200-202 family 67 farmer mentality 52 fast moving managers myth 52 feedback 178, 184 feedback recording 160, 161 figurehead 13 final rating 182 flawless execution 61 [ 293 ] frustrations, in new managerial role about 36 information gaps 39 no satisfaction 39, 40 overwhelmed attitude 40 slow world 38 thought process 36-38 G Gen Y about 236 characteristics 236, 237 employee behavior 237-239 Gen Y employee behavior about 237 choices 239 decision-making 239 diverse 238 nothing is impossible 237 open and transparent 238 ownership 239 secure 238 smart working 237 goal setting 184 good communication elements 94-100 good communication, elements clarity 95 concise 97 context 95, 96 courtesy 98 simple vocabulary 100 timely 99 two-way 97 gossip channel 106 grapevine 106 group unwelcome news, communicating to 112 Groupthink 90 growth about 269 basic requisites 273 growth, for manager don'ts 278-281 dos 274-278 overview 270, 271 H Halo effect 189 Herzberg's motivation 127, 128 hierarchy model 25-27 Hi exchange 108 high self-appraisal 193 hiring about 145 for potential skills 146, 147 optimal requisites 146 risk process 147 hiring cost about 209 background check process 210 candidates, searching 209 induction and on-boarding costs 210 interviewing costs 210 relocation cost, for new employee 210 hiring decision 162, 163 hiring process about 78, 289 advertising 149, 150 closing 168 difficulties 79 pre-interview 148, 149 rules 78, 79 sourcing 149, 150 talking, about challenges upfront 148 I indirect costs, attrition about 210 copy cat attrition 213 loss of productivity 211, 212 opportunity cost 212 individual bad news, communicating to 111 individual contributor transition, to manager 284 industries characteristics information about 33 disseminating 16 information gaps 39 [ 294 ] information processing roles about 15 disseminator 16 monitor 15 spokesperson 16 information sharing 33, 34 interpersonal communication 101 interpersonal roles about 13 figurehead 13 leader 14 liaison 14 interviewing, at campus 171 interviewing costs 210 interview plan 154, 155 interview tips about 155 behavioral interviews, using 159, 160 deep drill, on key areas 156, 157 don't ask same questions to people, at different levels 156 feedback recording 160, 161 listen, to candidate 155 look beyond technical skills 157, 158 look for application, and not just theory 157 past work 158 warm-up questions 156 L layoffs 179 leader 14 leadership deficit 89 leadership role 21 learned traits 48 liaison 14 life 233 listening skills 55 love needs, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory 124 low motivation about 121 signs 138-141 low motivations, signs absenteeism 139 avoidable errors, making 140 dragging feet 139 lack of attention to detail 138, 139 less social interaction 140, 141 no contest 140 M mai-baap manager 21, 22 management manager about as conduit 286 awareness, about communication 100 core values 53 custom orientation, expectations 62, 63 decision-making roles 17 expected competencies 50 expected key skills 50 expected traits 50 FAQs 28, 29 grip, on technical knowledge 61, 62 information processing roles 15 interpersonal roles 13 job challenges 10 job description multi-faceted role 285, 286 patience, displaying 54 re-planning 20 role play, summarizing 21 roles 13 scenarios 11 success measures, knowing 285 tolerance, for ambiguity 54 managerial model about 22 conduit 23, 24 hierarchy 25-27 orchestra conductor visual 27 visualizing 22 managerial responsibilities 285 managerial role considerations 32 frustrations 36 managerial role, considerations about 32 commitment 33 defensive approach 35, 36 information sharing 33, 34 [ 295 ] time 32, 33 tolerance 34 will, enforcing 35 managerial role, easing about 40 getting organized 44 information needs 41, 42 NO approach 43 relaxing 41 sharing 45 signing up, for formal training and education 45 success measures, knowing 42 Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory about 123, 288 esteem needs 125 love and belonging needs 124 overview 126 physiological needs 123 safety needs 124 self-actualization 125 maximum output myth 57 McClelland's motivational needs theory about 129 all three factors 130 need for achievement 129 need for affiliation 130 need for power 129 Minefield game 223 money factor, for motivation 141, 142 monitor 15 motivation about 64, 119, 288, 289 factors 130-133 overview 120-122 theories 122 motivation, factors challenge 132 hope, for better future 134 hope of individual's greatness 133 manager's, belief and confidence in individual 133 power 132 success 131 team bonding 131 motivation theories about 122 Herzberg's motivation 127, 128 Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory 123126 McClelland's motivational needs theory 129, 130 motivators versus demotivators 122 multi-faceted role, manager 285, 286 N National Geographic channel 67 negotiation 20 negotiator role 20 nice manager myth 51 NO approach 43 O once-a-year appraisal process steps 184 once-a-year appraisal process steps 184 one-on-one review meeting 184 open door policy 52 open-ended questions 181 opportunity cost 212 orchestra conductor visual 27 organization communication needs 102 organizational improvements 180 P peer reviews 183 people 10 performance about 176 key aspects 177 scenarios 176 performance appraisal process, issues about 186 difficulty, in remembering details 188 disconnected managers 188 Halo effect 189 high self-appraisal 193 [ 296 ] hurriedness 187, 188 inconsistency in ratings, by different managers 192 managers, shying away from disagreements 190, 191 non-ethical behavior 192 proximity effect 189 remote manager 193 subjective ratings, depending on interpretation 191 uncontinuous activity 187 performance evaluation, objectives about 178 alignment 178 career planning 179 feedback 178 layoffs 179 looking ahead 178 personal development 179 positive side effects 179 reflecting 178 reviewing 178 reward calculations 179 performance evaluation process about 180 appraisal form 180 appraisal models 182 bell curve, using in 185 objectives 178-180 once-a-year appraisal process steps 184 performance management about 57 maximum output myth 57 performance ratings 180 perpetual teams 70 personal competencies 64 personal development about 179 progress, tracking over years 179 personal planning 262 personal problems sharing 110 phone screening 151, 152 physiological needs, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory 123 plan about 60 classifications 248 considerations 251 plan, considerations about 251 advertising 260 big picture 251-253 buffer 255 changes, managing 263, 264 checkpoints 259 completion criteria, monitoring 258, 259 execution plan 256, 257 progress indicators, monitoring 259 proper monitoring 258 re-plan 259 risks, managing 263, 264 success criteria, monitoring 258, 259 tasks execution 254, 255 visibility, monitoring 259 work assignment 254, 255 planning about 245, 290 encouraging, from team 260 expecting, from team 260 need for 246, 247 nuances, in India 266, 267 planning cycle about 248 plan-execute-review 248 planning gotcha 265 pre-growth checks 272, 273 pre-interview about 148, 149 phone screening 151, 152 screening process 150, 151 pre-join attrition 172 problem solving about 57 every problem is my problem to solve myth 58 program management function 252 project delivery teams 70 project execution 61 project management 60, 61 project managers about 271 key behaviors 249, 250 key traits 249, 250 [ 297 ] reward collaboration 83 risk management basics 263, 264 role mismatch 205 Q quitters categories 202-208 quitters, categories about 202 dissatisfied 203, 204 fearful 208 growth-oriented 203 mismatched 204, 205 purposeful 207 still searching 206, 207 whimsical 206 S R remote employee managing 224-227 overview 225 remote management situation 223 remote manager 193 remoteness about 224 managing 224 strategies 227 remoteness, strategies about 227 clear goals, setting 229 communication, formulazing 228 expectations, setting with remote employee for more communication 228 frequent checkpoints 229 getting, into details 229 indulging, in chitchat 227 making travel meaningful 231 new technology, embracing 228 no excessive reporting 230 open sessions, conducting 229 travel budgets 231 two-way communication 228 remote team about 268 managing 224-227 resource allocator 19, 20 result orientation 58 reward calculations 179 safety needs, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory 124 sample interview plan 154, 155 sample phone screen about 152 basic technical questions (10 minutes) 153 closing (5-7 minutes) 154 code writing capabilities (10 minutes) 153, 154 domain experience (5 minutes) 153 recent significant projects (10 minutes) 152, 153 warm up (3-5) minutes 152 screening process about 150 key criteria 150, 151 self-actualization, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory 125 self awareness 64 self evaluation 184 self-motivation 122 self regulation 64 senior manager positions examples 271 senior project manager 271 senior support manager 271 Seven Habits programs 45 skills about 48 developing 48 skill in accomplishing 49 skills mismatch 205 Skype© 228 S.M.A.R.T goals about 182 Achievable 182 Measurable 182 Relevant 182 Specific 182 Time-Bound 182 [ 298 ] brainstorms 84-88 nurturing 56 teams, types 24x7 71, 72 committees 72 cross organizational 72 perpetual 70 project delivery 70 SWAT 71 technical knowledge 61, 62 timely communication 99 training costs 210 traits 48 two-way communication 97 social competence about 65 dimensions 65 social skills 65 spokesperson 16 stereotyping 240 subjective ratings 191 success criteria monitoring, for execution plan 258, 259 success dose 83 success measures knowing 285 SWAT teams 71 T tactic knowledge 211 talent 48 talkative 55 team bonding 131 team bonding needs, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory 124 team building about 56, 287 difficulties 74 team capabilities enhancing 219 team composition about 74, 75 difficulties 75-77 team goals and individual goals visible alignment, creating for 80-82 team member things, to remember 73, 74 teams about 56, 67 building 73 communication model, setting 103, 104 need for 68, 69 planning, encouraging from 260 planning, expecting from 260 reasons, for failure 88-90 types 70-72 team spirit about 56, 84 U umbrella dimensions 181 un-reward non-collaboration 83 unwanted communication controlling 104, 105 unwelcome news communicating, to group 112 V video conferencing 228 visible alignment creating, between team goals and individual goals 80-82 W web conferencing 228 weekly team meeting 260, 261 well informed decisions myth 60 work 233 work life balance (WLB) about 233 achievement 234 enjoyment test 234 fulfillment 234 need for 235 overview 233, 234, 235 reasons, for losing 236 Workplace Equal Opportunities policy 239 [ 299 ] Thank you for buying Management in India: Grow from an Accidental to a Successful Manager in the IT & Knowledge Industry About Packt Publishing Packt, pronounced 'packed', published its first book "Mastering phpMyAdmin for Effective MySQL Management" in April 2004 and subsequently continued to specialize in publishing highly focused books on specific technologies and solutions Our books and publications share the experiences of your fellow IT professionals in adapting and customizing today's systems, applications, and frameworks Our solution based books give you the knowledge and power to customize the software and technologies you're using to get the job done Packt books are more specific and less general than the IT books you have seen in the past Our unique business model allows us to bring you more focused information, giving you more of what you need to know, and less of what you don't Packt is a modern, yet unique publishing company, which focuses on producing quality, cutting-edge books for communities of developers, administrators, and newbies alike For more information, please visit our website: www.packtpub.com About Packt Enterprise In 2010, Packt launched two new brands, Packt Enterprise and Packt Open Source, in order to continue its focus on specialization This book is part of the Packt Enterprise brand, home to books published on enterprise software – software created by major vendors, including (but not limited to) IBM, Microsoft and Oracle, often for use in other corporations Its titles will offer information relevant to a range of users of this software, including administrators, developers, architects, and end users Writing for Packt We welcome all inquiries from people who are interested in authoring Book proposals should be sent to author@packtpub.com If your book idea is still at an early stage and you would like to discuss it first before writing a formal book proposal, contact us; one of our commissioning editors will get in touch with you We're not just looking for published authors; if you have strong technical skills but no writing experience, our experienced editors can help you develop a writing career, or simply get some additional reward for your expertise Maximize Your Investment: 10 Key Strategies for Effective Packaged Software Implementations ISBN: 978-1-849680-02-8 Paperback: 232 pages Accelerate packaged (COTS) software implementations, increase returns on investment, and reduce implementation costs and customizations Develop implementation approaches that maximize packaged software advantages and minimize packaged software challenges Reduce implementation costs, increase knowledge generation, and reduce non-valueadded implementation activities Enable customers to lead during the implementation to maximize long term success User Training for Busy Programmers ISBN: 978-1-904811-45-9 Paperback: 92 pages Develop effective software training classes quickly and easily A complete guide to creating software training courses and materials Concise and practical step-by-step approach Check-lists ensure that you are fully prepared Based on proven educational techniques Please check www.PacktPub.com for information on our titles Google Plus First Look: a tippacked, comprehensive look at Google+ ISBN: 978-1-84968-534-4 Paperback: 208 pages Get up and running with Google+ fast Written in plain but entertaining English by the author of over 100 books and a few zillion Internet posts Leads you gently through understanding how Plus works and shows you tons of examples of how to make it work for you Oracle Fusion Middleware Patterns ISBN: 978-1-847198-32-7 Paperback: 224 pages 10 unique architecture enabled by Oracle Fusion Middleware First-hand technical solutions utilizing the complete and integrated Oracle Fusion Middleware Suite in hardcopy and ebook formats From-the-trenches experience of leading IT Professionals Learn about application integration and how to combine the integrated tools of the Oracle Fusion Middleware Suite - and away with thousands of lines of code Please check www.PacktPub.com for information on our titles .. .Management in India: Grow from an Accidental to a Successful Manager in the IT & Knowledge Industry A real-world, practical book for a professional in his journey to becoming a successful manager. .. new manager or soon -to- be manager build a framework of understanding around what managing is in the knowledge industry, how to deal with the transition from an individual contributor to a manager, ... manager in India Rahul Goyal professional expertise distilled P U B L I S H I N G BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI Management in India: Grow from an Accidental to a Successful Manager in the IT & Knowledge Industry